I am with you on this one, though:I'd much rather hang out at La Grande Epiceriethan at any museum! I have been to Venice countless times, but not in any museums yet. Simply too much inspiration outside museum walls, at least so far.

That said, I did travel all the way to Lausanne to seethe Edward Hopper exhibition at the Hermitage - it's not that I avoid museums. ;-)

Dropped by to see what cookin'. Thanks for your secret agent work as there is so much to savor at La Grande Epicerie. Would have been sad to miss the dashing & daring gentleman in the red jacket!Have a delicious Day! xoxConstance

Decisions -- take a flat with a view of the Eiffel Tower or stay 1/2 block from La Grande Epicerie? Rue du Bac wins! I love this place too and those radishes with their Bordier butter in the "smoked" flavor is the best snack in the city. Oh, I wish I had some now.....

Carol, you must have willpower of steel. If I were there, in the middle of all that lusciousness, I simply could not resist buying SOMETHING! As for those colorful syrups, yes, I'd mix them with seltzer and make my own drink. Hercule Poirot had a hankering for syrup drinks - just thought I'd mention it. :)

Bonjour Carol,This is one of my favortie hang-outs too. I always leave with my wallet lighter, and my stomach bigger! Perhaps one day we'll meet at the huge bread counter...Great shots, how do you manage it? I usually chicken out at the last minute, but I did get up my nerve last Christmas, just before I saw the veggie guy giving me a dirty look! Take care,Mimi

Bonjour Carol,This is one of my favortie hang-outs too. I always leave with my wallet lighter, and my stomach bigger! Perhaps one day we'll meet at the huge bread counter...Great shots, how do you manage it? I usually chicken out at the last minute, but I did get up my nerve last Christmas, just before I saw the veggie guy giving me a dirty look! Take care,Mimi

I remember feeling ever so slightly faint the first time I visited La Grande Epicerie. The sheer scale and depth is really a buzz in itself. I wandered and wandered, it was a heavenly maze, an ode to food.

I have actually used strawberry sugar to make a lemon balm pound cake. Quite the treat "pour les quatre heures"...though home-made "sirop de fraises" far more effectively imparts that fresh berry flavor.

As for those sirops you saw, all can be used to flavor sparkling or still water, to make a sorbet or ice cream, a dessert glaze, a cake filling...

I love that you followed the red coat. Like that film, about the red balloon.

Paris Letters

♥carol gillott♥

l'Ile Saint Louis, Paris, Ile de France, France

Hi I'm Carol Gillott,
My Mom taught me watercolors at 5. I'm still at it, now tripping over cobblestones, living in a 6th-floor garret on l'Ile Saint-Louis, Paris. Read Parisbreakfast with a hot chocolate and croissant.
I paint Paris breakfasts.